The 36th annual Taste of Cincinnati takes over six
blocks downtown this weekend. The annual food festival includes more than 100
dishes from 40-plus restaurants and 70 live music performances Saturday through
Monday. Features this year include four music stages; tappings, tastings and a
meet-the-brewers with Christian Moerlein Brewing Co., official beer of the
Taste; and the Taste Experience. If large crowds and funnel cakes aren’t quite
your thing, the Taste Experience features more upscale fare in the intimate
setting of the Procter & Gamble gardens. The Reds take on the Cardinals
Saturday and Sunday, so it’s sure to be a bustling weekend downtown. For more
information about the Taste, check out our feature on the fest.
Memorial Day marks the symbolic start to summer as
well as the opening date for many pools and summer attractions. Both The Beach Waterpark and Coney Island open their gates this Saturday. The Beach, under new
management since its temporary closing in 2012, is back with all the crazy
water rides and slides, the wave pool, real sand and endless entertainment for
the whole family. New this year are cabanas for rent and a high-flying zip-line.
Find admission details and hours here.
Coney Island is another Cincy summertime institution. Enjoy classic rides,
water slides and the iconic Sunlite Pool all weekend long. Go here for tickets
and more info.
Cincinnati Saints, the city’s semi-professional soccer
team, kicks off its first season in the National Premier Soccer League Friday
with a game against Pennsylvania’s Erie Admirals. The Saints play home games at
Stargel Stadium on the West End. Follow the team as they look to make soccer
yet another successful pro sport in Cincinnati — the team will host World Cup
watch parties on Fountain Square next month. Read more about the team in this
week’s feature.
Ever been curious about the nudist lifestyle? Many
locals don’t know a nudist resort is located right outside the city on Cincinnati’s
West Side. Paradise Gardens Nudist Resort lies on 35 acres of lush, wooded land
and has been around for more than 40 years. Those interested in nudism or just
wanting to check it off their bucket list are invited to explore the grounds
for an open house noon-6 p.m. Saturday. New nudists and veterans alike can
enjoy swimming, hiking, volleyball, sunning and even a
pirate-themed dance at night. Relax, be respectful and bring a towel to sit on
(that hot summer sun can really warm up seat surfaces!). Future open house
dates are June 7, July 5 and Aug. 19. Learn more here.
For more art openings, parties, festivals and other
stuff to do this weekend, check out our To Do picks,
full calendar and Rick
Pender’s Stage
Door
for weekend theater offerings.

Summer doesn’t
officially begin for another month and Memorial Day, the unofficial seasonal
kick-off, is next weekend. But looking at this weekend's
— the first round of church festivals, the opening of The Beach Waterpark,
food fests abound — and it’s clear: Summer is upon us.
Legendary musician
and artist Patti Smith is in town for the opening of her anticipated
Contemporary Art Center exhibit and concert. Patti Smith: The Coral Sea, a tribute to Robert Mapplethore,
officially opens Saturday but the opening celebration at the CAC is 6-11 p.m.
Friday. On Saturday, Smith performs a sold-out concert at Memorial Hall. Check
out our interview with Smith here.
There’s a bevy of
festivals across the Tristate this weekend — most notably, the Asian Food Fest,
CincItalia and Maifest. Asian Food Fest returns to The Banks 4 p.m.-midnight Saturday
and 1-9 p.m. Sunday. Your favorite area Chinese, Indian, Korean and Thai
restaurants and other Asian eateries will be serving up samples ranging from
$2-$6. Guests can enjoy performances from local Asian-American groups and
entertainers throughout the fest.
Get a taste of
Italy by way of Cheviot at CincItalia (6-midnight Friday, 3 p.m.-midnight Saturday
and 1-9 p.m. Sunday at Harvest Home Park). Once you’ve gotten your fill of
pizza, pasta, gelato and tiramisu, check out the live music, auto show, Italian
market and cooking demos.
Why not round out
the weekend with a German celebration, too? The 34th Annual
MainStrasse Village Maifest is also
this weekend: 5-11:30 p.m. Friday, noon-11:30 p.m. Saturday and noon-9 p.m.
Sunday. Maifest is the traditional German celebration of spring and the
hundreds of thousands of expected visitors can expect plenty of food, wine,
beer, street performances and kids activities. Think Oktoberfest, but in the
spring.
Looking for
something a little edgier and a lot sexier? Don’t miss Exhibitionism 3 at
Weston Art Gallery (inside the Aronoff Center) Saturday. The late-night dance
party features DJs, a lingerie fashion show, body painting, drinks and light
bites. General admission tickets are $35 and get you in the door at 9:30 p.m.;
$100 VIP tickets include early 8 p.m. admission for an Epicurious Exhibitionism
pre-party dinner and drink tickets. Buy them here.
The Beach
Waterpark opens Saturday under new management after being closed for the 2012 season.
Expect a total makeover of the park, new attractions and familiar favorites
like the lazy river and wave pool. The opening celebration runs
Saturday-Sunday; daily hours begin May 25.
Nearby, at Kings
Island, Barry
Williams, Christopher Knight and Susan Olsen — better known as Greg, Peter and
Cindy Brady — will be performing, signing autographs and taking photos with
fans Sunday. Why, you ask? To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Brady Bunch episode that was filmed at
KI in 1973.
And this is just a few options — for
more stuff to do this weekend, check out our To Do picks,
full calendar and Rick
Pender’s Stage
Door for weekend theater offerings.

Petitions for the redistricting amendment being pushed by Voters First are about to reach their Friday deadline. If Voters First does not obtain enough signatures, the redistricting amendment will not be on the November ballot. CityBeat has previously covered the petition issue here and the GOP attempt to redraw state districts to its advantage here.The Beach landed a new operator for the 2013 season: Adventure Holdings LLC. The new operator is expected to make more than $1 million in investments in the park.An Ohio Department of Education investigation found Lockland School District has been reporting false attendance data. The district’s rating has been bumped down to adjust for the real data.Some political pundits are saying Cincinnati will play a pivotal role in the 2012 presidential election.The 2012 Kids Count report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found Ohio has the sixteenth highest child poverty rate in the United States with nearly 1 in 4 children in poverty.The Obama campaign will be setting up headquarters at the Hanke Building in Over-the-Rhine.County officials across Ohio are complaining casino tax money is not making up for losses in state funds.Forty economists of varying political and ideological beliefs have concluded that the Republican Party has abandoned economic reality.Mayors Against Illegal Guns has put together a website that demands Barack Obama and Mitt Romney release a plan to end gun violence.Eye scanners may not be all they’re cracked up to be in movies and TV shows. New research has found a way to completely fool them.

The Ohio Attorney General’s office on May
25 filed a lawsuit against The Beach Waterpark in Mason in response to
complaints over the park’s March 9 closing and failure to offer full
refunds to 8,800 season pass holders. The lawsuit charges the business
with failure to deliver, a violation of Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices
Act.

The Beach Waterpark, a summer hotspot for locals and visitors alike, will not open this summer, according to a press release from Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau.The organization's president and CEO released this statement today:“We are saddened to hear The Beach Waterpark will not be open this summer. Tourism is the largest industry in Warren County and as a significant attraction and major landmark in the County for more than a quarter of a century, The Beach has had a lasting impact on visitor spending which, in turn, fuels jobs and revenue for the County. We realize this was a difficult decision for the park’s management and hope they can reopen in the future.”The Beach's website has not been updated with this information; there is still a job fair listing on the home page, which was supposed to take place March 24-25, along with a 2012 operational schedule.Apparently those looking for summer fun that's a step up from the city pool will need to visit Kings Island's Soak City Waterpark. Kings Island is set to open April 28, with the waterpark opening May 26.The Beach sprawls across 35 acres of land, pumping 2 million gallons of water throughout more than 50 rides and attractions
including The Cliff, Kahuna Beach Wavepool, the Lazy Miami River and the
Hidden Rapids.